Jake
“Take your hands off her,” I growl, coming to stand in front of Jasmine, not even thinking about whether the shadows that circle her will harm me.
I’m not thinking about the God of the Underworld standing before me, or that I might have just signed my own death warrant. My mind is on Jasmine and the fact that she’s nearing death.
Marisole is wrapped in dark vines to the side, her mouth shrouded by shadows. Even though she’s trying her best to escape, it’s not working.
The shadows slink off of Jasmine and move around me back to their owner.
“Ah, why aren’t you in the dungeons?” the God of the Underworld tsks.
I open my mouth to respond, but Liam runs through the door of the throne room.
“Fuck, why did you run?” he breathes, or tries to. We had quite a few stairs to climb to the throne room. He didn’t care to move fast, whereas I did. Every second mattered, especially if Jasmine was already here.
And I’m glad I did, because if I had walked like I had all the time in the world like Liam, Jasmine might have been dead.
I glare at him, but he doesn’t see me. He’s too busy leaning over his knees, trying to catch his breath.
Instead, I catch Jasmine’s stare, and she nods, which I’m assuming is her way of telling me she’s okay. I know she wants to see Liam, to turn around and beg for answers. But I also know she’s aware of our time constraint, and if her father just tried to kill her, he won’t hesitate to do it again.
I move to stand next to Jasmine, while Marisole is released from the vines and shadows and stands with Liam near the wall of the throne room.
“I want to make a bargain.” Jasmine fights for every word as it leaves her mouth, but she stands strong, not showing her dad how frightened she is.
I’d give almost anything to feel her heart right now, to feel the connection that lies between us. I’m grateful for the temporary shield—the magic we agreed was necessary to keep me safe—but I force my gaze not to linger too long on Jasmine, trying to find her nervous tics.
She deserves my trust.
“You want to make a bargain? With a god?” her father asks, then laughs at the notion. “My dear child, there’s nothing you can offer me that I don’t already have.”
My gaze meets Jasmine’s, and I nod at her to continue. The only way to have any chance at winning this fight is by not giving up before we’ve given it an honest shot.
She takes a deep breath and returns her attention to the throne.
“In exchange for immunity for myself, Marisole, Jake, and…” She glances at Liam for a quick second, then adds, “Liam. I offer the demons a seat on the Council.”
Her father ignores her offer and asks a valid question. “Why would I want a seat on the Council?”
Jasmine has practiced this. We’ve practiced this. Every angle, every counter-question, we have an answer. Or at least, we’re ninety percent certain we do.
“Traveling from the Underworld to the other realms has proven more difficult as time passes. The lands are guarded by shifters, witches, and other species—species that are known enemies of demons. Eventually, traveling through the doors will result in death, and there won’t be a way to gather new souls. ”
“Eventually is not now.”
“No…” she acknowledges. “But it was hard to capture me, yes?”
Her father releases a low grunt.
“Without a seat on the Council, it’ll become more difficult for demons to enter the mortal realm. Enough paranormals are familiar with the way our portals work, and if we don’t make it out alive, they will ensure no demon passes into their realm without their knowing.
The God doesn’t answer immediately and takes a moment to think about Jasmine’s proposition. The room is burning hot, the outside sky darkening as the God’s anger rises.
Finally, he crosses one leg over the other and says, “You say you’d provide a seat on the Council. How do you—a demon, a species they hate—have a say in lifting the ban on demons joining?”
“Jake is the werewolf leader on the Council. For a demon to have a spot back on the Council, there’s one nonnegotiable: it must go to someone Jake and I are comfortable with and can trust—someone who can negotiate the terms and keep the demon activity to a minimum, on an as-needed basis.”
Her father furrows his brows. “You don’t have many demons in your court, Jasmine. Most don’t see you as a demon, since you’re half human.”
Jasmine only nods, giving her father a chance to think through it.
This part of the bargain is something we’ve talked about in great detail.
We need her father to believe that putting Marisole on the Council is his idea.
If it were Jasmine’s idea, her father would immediately shoot it down, not thinking it’d be in his best interest.
The God palms the beard on his face as he looks around the room, hopefully thinking of accepting the bargain and letting us all live.
“Marisole,” he says after a few minutes of sitting in silence.
“No,” she says. This is another thing we prepared. We didn’t tell Marisole because her being on the Council after receiving a soul won’t exactly be a nice transition. Unfortunately for her, there’s no one else Jasmine trusts.
“I made my decision,” her father says to Marisole, ignoring her obvious no to the job. He then turns to Jasmine. “Marisole can take the seat on the Council in exchange for living out her life in the other realm. Even if I can’t prove it, she hid you from me, and it’s either this or death for her.”
He looks to Marisole for an answer, and she simply nods. I feel bad for throwing her into this, especially knowing how much she did for Jasmine, but if there was another way, I hope Marisole knows we would have done it. The last thing Jasmine wanted was to force this on her without her knowing.
“I accept your bargain,” her father says. “Now, leave before I change my mind and kill you all. And Marisole?”
“Yeah?”
“I expect to hear about the decisions from the Council and our new transport rules in the realm within the next month.”